These Healthy Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls are truly one of my favorite fall recipes I’ve every made! They have everything you love about the original version but they’re lightened up and have the most delicious pumpkin twist!

PUMPKIN cinnamon rolls, oh my!!! Is there really anything better than a big, doughy, sweet roll on a crisp fall morning? I think not!

These Healthy Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls are one of my favorite recipes from my Fall Collection Mini Cookbook! The collection is full of exclusive recipes with a focus on a fall seasonal ingredients and season favorites! You can purchase this collection individually or you can become a part of Fit Cookie Club and get it for free!

The base of these cinnamon rolls combines some of our favorite fall flavors: pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice and cinnamon. They’re sweet with a little spice and just the right amount of pumpkin flavor to really take them to the next level! And don’t let process intimidate you! These truly are easier than you think and definitely WORTH IT! 😉

These Healthy Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls are even better than regular cinnamon rolls because they’re lightened up so that you can still enjoy all your other breakfast favorites. I love pairing these with a simple egg scramble and piece of turkey bacon or sausage for the perfect sweet and savory combo + macro-balanced meal!

Trust me, these healthy homemade cinnamon rolls will be your new go-to recipe on fall weekends and would make the perfect breakfast or brunch Thanksgiving morning!

• Milk – I used unsweetened almond milk but use any milk of choice!
• Light butter – I used I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter. Regular butter or dairy-free butter work great too!
• Canned pumpkin – not pumpkin pie mix, canned pumpkin is unsweetened, real pumpkin. I used Libby’s because it has the best orange color and texture.
• Fast Rising Yeast –  if you are using active dry yeast instead of fast-rising yeast, you may need to let dough sit longer as it may take longer for it to rise.
• Egg
• Sweetener – I used monk fruit sweetener and golden monk fruit sweetener. You could use regular sugar and brown sugar, Truvia, Swerve, coconut sugar, whatever sweetener you fancy here!
• Pumpkin pie spice
• Cinnamon
• Flour – All-purpose flour, cake flour or bread flour works best here! I recommend Bob Red Mill’s 1:1 or King Arthur’s measure for measure if using gluten-free flour. I have not tested this recipe with almond flour, oat flour, or whole grain flour, so i’m not sure if they’ll work. You can definitely try! Just note that it won’t have the same ‘bakery taste’ as it does when you use normal all purpose or cake flour. A better option to regular whole wheat flour would be white whole wheat flour or whole wheat bread flour. I would not recommend using coconut flour for this recipe.
• Cream cheese – I used reduced fat cheese cheese. Feel free to use regular cream cheese, fat-free, Neufchatel (Greek cream cheese), or vegan cream cheese.
• Powdered sugar – I used powdered monk fruit sweetener. Any confectioner’s sugar works!
• Pure maple syrup – can use sugar-free syrup if preferred.
• Vanilla extract

How To Make

For The Pumpkin Dough:

1. In a large bowl, microwave the milk and butter for 45 seconds to 1 minute, or until temperature has reached 110 degrees F (use a thermometer for this). It should feel like bath water. Temperature is important here. If the milk is too cool or too hot, the yeast won’t rise. 
2. Whisk in the pumpkin, egg, sweetener and pumpkin pie spice until combined. Double check that the temperature is still 110-115F then whisk in the yeast.
3. Transfer the liquid mixture to the bowl of your stand mixer and attach your dough hook. Gradually add in the flour and protein a little at a top and continue mixing for 1-2 minutes until flour is well incorporated. Alternatively, you can just keep the liquid in the same bowl then add the flour and protein powder a little at a time, folding with a spatula or wooden spoon.
4. Keep kneading in your stand mixer for another 3 minutes (or transfer to a floured surface and knead for 3 minutes). Then let the dough rest for 10 minutes while you gather your Cinnamon Swirl ingredients.

For The Cinnamon Swirl + Assembly:

1. Mix together the brown sugar, cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice in a small bowl. After the dough rests 10 minutes, briefly knead the dough again then roll out into a 14×8 inch large rectangle using a rolling pin. 
2. Spread the butter on top all across the pumpkin dough. Then sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture on top. I know it seems like a lot, but a lot is absorbed in the dough when baked. 
3. Roll the dough up hot-dog style and gently press the end of the dough into the log to seal. Use a sharp serrated knife or piece of floss to carefully cut into 12 even rolls. Spray a 9×13-inch dish with cooking spray and place the rolls in the dish with room to expand. Cover the rolls tightly with plastic wrap and allow to rise for 60-90 minutes in a warm place. I just went ahead and cut my oven on (350F) and let the rolls sit on top of the warm oven. 
4. After the rolls have doubled in size, bake for 20-25 minutes (I took mine out right at 20 min) or until golden brown. If you notice the tops are getting too brown too quickly, loosely cover the rolls with aluminum foil and continue baking.

For the Frosting:

1. Beat the frosting ingredients together until smooth. Spread on the warm pumpkin rolls. Cover leftover frosted or unfrosted rolls tightly and store at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.